Girl, 8, booted from soccer tournament for "looking like a boy"

8-year-old Mili Hernandez, of Springfield, Neb., is seen during an interview.

SPRINGFIELD, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska State Soccer Association is apologizing to an 8-year-old girl who says her team was disqualified from a youth soccer tournament because she looks like a boy.

It said in a statement Monday that the Springfield soccer club's decision to disqualify Mili Hernandez's team does not represent the association's core values of teamwork and inclusion.

Mili's team had advanced to the tournament finals when it was suddenly disqualified. The Springfield club tells WOWT-TV (http://bit.ly/2sc1tt9 ) that a misprint in the team's roster identified Mili as a boy. Mili wears her hair short.

The state soccer association says it did not oversee the Springfield tournament but will work directly with clubs and tournament officials to ensure nothing like this happens again.

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6:10 a.m.

Former U.S. soccer stars Abby Wambach and Mia Hamm are offering support to an 8-year-old Nebraska girl who says her team was disqualified from a youth soccer tournament because she says she looks like a boy.

WOWT-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2sc1tt9 ) Mili Hernandez's team had advanced to the finals of the tournament when it was suddenly disqualified. The Springfield Soccer Association tells the station that a misprint in the team's roster identified Mili as a boy in "violation of state and tournament rules" and her appearance wasn't an issue. The girl wears her hair cut short.

Wambach says on social media that she's "won championships" with her own short haircut and wants to meet the girl.